Optical fiber transmission systems are being extensively used in the telephone network for long distance and interoffice trunk lines because of their wide bandwidth, small size and insensitivity to electrical interference. Conventional long distance optical transmission systems utilize time division multiplexed digital transmission. The maximum data rate available in commercial lightwave systems was for many years limited to 565 megabits per second, and has only recently been increased to 1.7 gigabits per second. A 565 megabits per second optical trunk line carrying 8,000 voice channels is very cost effective for voice transmission.
Recently, efforts have been made in the telecommunications industry to utilize optical transmission systems in the local, or subscriber, loop between the central office and individual subscribers. The goal is to provide not only voice, but also data and video transmission over the optical fiber to every home and business. The video services are expected to include not only broadcast services, but also switched video services which will enable each subscriber to select programming and movies from video libraries. An uncompressed digital video signal requires a data rate of about 100 megabits per second, and analog FM video requires a bandwidth of about 30 megahertz. Even with compression, a data rate of 100 megabits per seconds is needed for high resolution entertainment video. As a result, the 565 megabit per second system, which is so effective for carrying voice channels, carries only a few video channels and must be supplemented with extensive video switching capability just to equal the channel selection presently available on cable TV. While optical fibers, laser diodes and photodiodes have more than adequate capability for bandwidths in excess of 565 megabits per second, the limiting factor is the unavailability of high speed digital electronics that are required for transmitters, for receivers and for multiplexing and demultiplexing circuits. To compete with conventional cable TV, which can provide 30 or more video channels, a subscriber distribution network based on conventional baseband digital fiber optic transmission must either operate at multigigabit per second data rates, or require extensive video switching capability.
To overcome these difficulties, microwave multiplexing of optical signals has been proposed. In these systems, a wideband microwave signal composed of many frequency multiplexed microwave carriers is used to intensity modulate a high speed laser diode. The optical signal is transmitted through a conventional single mode optical fiber to a remote location. The optical signal received at the remote location is detected with a high speed photodiode, and the transmitted signals are recovered. The microwave carriers can be modulated by either analog or digital signals and can be used to carry voice, data, video, digital audio, and high definition video, in almost any combination of services. Microwave modulated optical systems can be designed to transmit 1 to 20 gigahertz of bandwidth and can utilize the low-cost equipment presently utilized for satellite video transmission. Transmission of 60 frequency modulated video channels over 18 kilometers of optical fiber is described by R. Olshansky et al in "60-Channel FM Video Subcarrier Multiplexed Optical Communication System, " Electronics Letters, Vol. 23, No. 22, pages 1196-1198 (Oct. 22, 1987). The transmission of ten FM video channels over 35 kilometers of optical fiber is described by W. I. Way et al in "A 1.3-.mu.m 35-km Fiber-Optic Microwave Multicarrier Transmission System For Satellite Earth Stations," J. Lightwave Technol., Vol. LT-5, No. 9, September 1987, pages 1325-1332. The transmission of three 44 megabit per second signals over two kilometers of optical fiber is described, by T. E. Darcie et al in "Lightwave System Using Microwave Subcarrier Multiplexing," Electronics Letters, Vol. 22, No. 15, pages 774-775 (Jul. 17, 1986). An optical local area network utilizing microwave modulation of a light beam is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,904 issued Oct. 20, 1987 to Darcie.
In order to provide a wide range of subscriber services, it is desirable to optimize the information-carrying capability of the optical transmission system, while maintaining high quality video transmission and low error rate digital transmission. In addition, it is desirable to increase the number of subscribers which can be connected to a single optical transmitter and to increase the distance over which the subcarrier multiplexed optical signal can be transmitted.
A technique for improving optical receiver sensitivity in comparison with direct detection techniques is to utilize coherent detection. Unlike direct detection where the intensity modulated optical signal is converted directly into a modulated electrical output, the coherent receiver first adds to the received optical signal a locally-generated optical field and detects the squared sum. The resulting photocurrent is translated in frequency from the optical domain to the microwave domain where electronic techniques can be utilized for signal processing. Coherent optical techniques are described by J. Salz in "Modulation and Detection for Coherent Lightwave Communications", IEEE Communications Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 6, June 1986, pages 38-49.